Coimbatore

Introduction

Outdoor market

© robertap

Coimbatore is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu, in southern India, with around 1.5 million inhabitants. Coimbatore, also known as Kovai is known for its various industries, engineering goods, textile mills, educational institutions, health care facilities, pleasant weather, friendly culture and hospitality. There is a significant minority of people of North and West Indian origin in Coimbatore which gives it a cosmopolitan outlook. The Tamil spoken here is called Kongu Tamil. Other languages spoken include English, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. Very friendly & courteous people in South India. Except for early summer it otherwise has a very pleasant climate throughout the year, similar to a resort town. It's one of the upcoming Information Technology Hub with new initiatives from the State Govt. Has the pride of having the world's second tastiest water "Siruvani Water" after Nile. Coimbatore is an orthodox city. It has developed in terms of wealth, however the general populace is still down to earth. People here don't have a flashy lifestyle, they are generally very content. Most of all the Coimbatoreans are known for the respect displayed in language towards everyone.

Neighbourhoods

Periva Negamam

Around 15 kilometres from Pollachi in Coimbatore, lies a village named Periva Negamam. The village consists of cemented covering houses, cow-dung tempered streets, and also has an innermost place of worship for Hindu God. In the essential chamber of the village, lies a peepal tree, which forms an area of neighborhood interface.

One can frequently perceive sound the clickety-clack of handlooms in the village. The sound is uninterrupted. This universal sound is due to the village’s status as a hub for the weaving of cotton and silk sarees. The way the artisan's function and the technique that goes into making these detailed sarees is quite captivating.

The genuineness of the weaving preparation lies in the permanence of behavior and techniques. The established weaving practices are inborn from one creation to the next. The skill comes obviously from the good value of families carrying out the subsidiary activities along with the weaver, leading to learning customary techniques. These settlements are integral and accuracy is maintained.

The village is home to several handloom artisans. The invention is passed on from one age group to the next, along with the handlooms and other equipment. Every method is carried out from the home, and the whole family helps out! Thus, the production is one that superfluities from the homes of these artisans.

Sights and Activities

• Athar Jamad Masjid (Athar Jamaath Masjid) (Located in Big bazaar street). A famous 100 years old Masjid.
• G.D. Naidu Museum (Located in Avinashi Road). 8AM to 4:30PM except on sundays. A must visit for all science history enthusiasts. Interesting collection of inventions by G.D.Naidu who is also referred as Edison of India. Interesting science experiments. One can also see the History of Industrialisation in Coimbatore. Also on display an old motor bike which G.D.Naidu learned to assemble from a British officer after which he interested in engineering. A gift shop is attached with the museum, where one can buy interesting toys from Germany. Children will enjoy a lot. Entrance free.
• VOC park (Located near Gandhipuram). The popular park includes zoo and children's park. Evening is the best time to visit the park. Fee: Adult - ₹3, Child - ₹2. Nehru Stadium is situated nearby and also there are few small playgrounds for basketball, tennis, badminton, etc.
• Infant Jesus Church, Kovaipudur. Here, devotees throng on Thursdays to attending the Novena.
• Anubhavi Subramaniar Temple, Chinna Thadagam. This temple has a natural outflow, which spouts water all through the year. For this reason, the temple is quite popularly known and people never fail to make their visit. There are hundreds of steps to get to the temple, and no mechanical help available. This place is frequented by elephants and hence do not plan to visit the temple during evening hours. Don't forget to visit the Lalithambikai temple situated at its foothills.

Weather

Coimbatore has a pleasant climate due to the presence of forests to the north and the cool winds blowing through the Palghat gap in the Western Ghats. Under the Köppen climate classification, the city has a tropical wet and dry climate, with a wet season lasting from September to November due to the northeast monsoon. The mean maximum temperature ranges from 35.9 °C to 29.2 °C and the mean minimum temperature ranges from 24.5 °C to 19.8 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded is 40.4 °C on May 5, 1983 while the lowest is 9.7 °C on January 8, 1912.

Due to the south-west monsoon winds passing through the Palghat gap, elevated regions of the city receive rainfall in the months from June to August. After a warm and humid September, the north-east monsoon starts from October lasting until early November. The average annual rainfall is around 700 mm with the northeast and the southwest monsoons contributing to 47% and 28% respectively to the total rainfall. This periodic rainfall does not satisfy the city's water requirements throughout the year and water supply schemes like Siruvani and Pilloor maintain its availability during low rainfall months.

Getting There

By Plane

Coimbatore Airport (CJB) has flights to/from Sharjah, Delhi, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Chennai, Bangalore, Singapore, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

By Train

Coimbatore Junction, the major station in the city is well connected by trains from all major cities including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram. Other train stations in the city include Podanur Junction and Coimbatore North Junction.

By Bus

There are five major bus stations in Coimbatore from where bus services are available to all major places in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh. All the bus stations are inter connected with local bus services all through the day.

• Central Bus station at Gandhipuram (for buses going to East and North East to Erode, Gobichettipalayam, Tirupur, Salem, Sathyamangalam and surrounding areas)
• Singanallur Bus station (for buses to Madurai, Trichy, Karur, Tanjavur and the towns around them)
• Moffusil Bus Station at Gandhipuram (for Express buses to Other states and also to far places like Chennai, Bangalore, Hydrabad, Pondicherry, Tirupati
• Ukkadam Bus station (for buses to Palakkad, Trichur, Cochin, Trivandrum, Palani, Pollachi, Udumalpet and other nearby places)
• MTP Road Bus station for buses going toward Mettupalayam, Ooty, Gudalur

Getting Around

Getting around Coimbatore is easy. There are public transport buses, auto rickshaws and plenty of taxis available. Minimum charge for Cabs is ₹40 and ₹16/₹12 per KM for different operators. The Public transport is available through Buses operated by State Owned TNSTC and other private operators.

Eat

When you visit Coimbatore don't forget to taste the Food & Siruvani Water. Coimbatore is an ideal stop if you want to take some rest while on the way to Ooty, Bangalore or Kerala. Don't forget to taste the best of South Indian Idlis, Dosas, Vada, Chutney and Vegetarian rice meal from the Annapoorna Chain of Veg Restaurants, Aaryaas Veg Restaurant and Non-vegetarian food from Kovai Biriyani Hotel, Angannan's, Anjappar, Sampoorna, Rayappas and Thalappas restaurants. Try Krishna Sweets too, the sweets chain had their origins in this town. The strong influence of the west has prevailed and resulted in numerous coffee pubs and fast food outlets.Chains like Subway,Domino's pizza,Pizza Hut,Baskin Robbins Ice cream,Marry Brown,Barista,Cafe Coffee Day,Boomerang etc., have made their presence felt among the city's elite and emerging middle class.

Drink

Liquors cannot be found in the departmental stores or malls. It is reguralised by the state government of Tamil Nadu and it is available through retail outlets controlled by state owned body TASMAC and in some star hotels and Bars. These shops usually close around 22:00, and it is hard to find an overnight party house in the city.

Siruvani water in Coimbatore is considered one of the tastiest natural unprocessed waters on the planet.

Sleep

There are a lot of budget hotels near the railway station and bus stand with single room between 150-350/day.

• Dunag Springs Service Apartments (Dunag Springs), 12/24 Dunag Springs, Padmanabha Nagar, Civil Aerodrome, SITRA, Coimbatore (200 metres from Coimbatore Airport), ☎ +91 4399031-32. 29 furnished apartments spread over 3 Locations (Airport, Nehru Nagar, Ramanathapuram) in town on daily rental. Wifi enabled 25 Seater A/C Conference Hall & Gym Facility Available with In House Pantry Services. 1,250 onwards.
• Guestlines Service Apartments, Sivaram Nagar, Sungam bye pass road,Coimbatore, ☎ +91 4222302280. 15 fully furnished rooms with free wifi & gym. Guestlines is just about 1.5 kilometres from the Coimbatore railway station. ₹2,000.
• Hotel City Tower, 56 Sivasamy Road, ☎ +91 422 2230641. standard A/C double room ₹1250/- deluxe A/C double ₹1,500/.
• Kanimani Lodge, 427, 100 Feet Road Gandhipuram Coimbatore (opposite to karpagam complex), ☎ +91-0422-2526343, +91-0422-3042525. Near bus stand, five minutes walk to cross cut road. Well maintained and good service.
• Railway Retirement Room, inside railway station. ₹175.
• Aloft Coimbatore, 483 Kamaraj Road, ☎ +91 422 665 6000.
• Jenneys Residency, 2/2, Avinashi Road, ☎ +91 422 433 5777.
• Le Méridien Coimbatore, 762, Avinashi Road, ☎ +91 422 236 4343.
• The Residency Coimbatore, 1076, Avinashi Road, ☎ +91 42222 41414.
• Vivanta by Taj - Surya, 105, Race Course Road, ☎ +91 422 668 1000.

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Keep Connected

Internet

There's good coverage over most of India for Internet cafes. However, following the recent terror attacks in Mumbai and some other cities, all internet cafes have been instructed by the authorities to maintain a register and note down the identification details of all persons using internet. Sify iWay is a reliable and cheap cafe with over 1,600 cafes over India. iWay also allows you to open a pre-paid account that you can use all over India. Whenever you have Internet access probably the best and cheapest way to call family and friends at home is software that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet such as Skype.

Wifi hotspots in India are, for most part, limited. The major airports and stations do offer paid wifi at around RS.60-100 an hour. Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai are the only cities with decent wifi coverage. At Mumbai airport, you get to use WiFi internet free, for an hour or so.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country code for India is 91. To dial outside the country from India, prefix the country code with 00.

The general emergency number is 100 (emergency response police & fire), while for ambulance you should dial 102 or 112, though some regions have 108 for this emergency. 108 is used in in the Indian states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Goa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha,Assam, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. 108 can be called for medical, crime, fire, or any other emergency from any phone.

Local phone numbers can be anywhere from 5-8 digits long. But when the area code is included, all landline phone numbers in India are 10 digits long. Cellphone numbers usually start with '9', '8', or '7'. Toll-free numbers start with 1-800.

If staying longterm it is probably wise to think about investing in a mobile phone. You'll possibly need to provide a photocopy of your passport and itinerary, so come prepared. Make sure you arrange it upon arrival in a big city, as it can sometimes be difficult to organise with language barriers and such in more regional areas. You can buy a cheap nokia for about RS.1,200 with a pre-paid plan. Airtel is a good carrier to think about as they have great coverage, and constant offers for cheaper calling. To recharge, most shop vendors with phone carrier signs can do it via their own phone. You give them your mobile number, they put it in their phone and you'll both get messages as to whether or not the recharge has been successful. Also, if possible, buy the phone in the state where you do the most travelling as the charges are higher in the states where you did not originally buy the phone.

Over the entire country there are plenty of public phones, even in the middle of the countryside. Although most of the time these phones are not very well maintained and have horrible connections. Therefore remember when using one of these public phones one must be extremely patient.
For international calls from payphones, you'll have to visit a reputable internet cafe with a phone-booth. Mobile phones are usually a better and cheaper option.

Post

India Post is the national postal service of India, and on their website you find details about prices to send postcards, letters and parcels, both domestically and internationally. For most postcards to send internationally, it is better to visit the post office before writing on the card as you may need quite a few stamps. Parcels must be taken to a tailor, he will then sew it up in white linen. Make sure he seals it with red wax, otherwise the post office may refuse to send it or try to get you to pay them to do it. Sewing up a parcel should only cost RS.50 to 200. In general, post offices are open from 10:00am to 1:00pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm in most bigger towns and cities, though there are regional variations and some might keep longer hours or be open during (part of) the weekend as well. Ask around.

If you want to send bigger packages/parcels, it might be better, faster and sometimes even cheaper, to contact a private company like DHL, TNT or UPS.

External Links

• Official Website